Garden sculpture

Reference articles are in English.

Stacked stone columns of varying shapes rising from a circular water basin in Kerikeri Domain.

Te Whiringa o Manoko by Chris Booth, in Kerikeri Domain, New Zealand. Source

Description

Garden sculpture is placed in relation to planting, paths, views and changing light. It may act as a focal point or be encountered along a route. Scale, height, base and distance from the viewer shape its effect within the landscape.

History

The placing of sculptural stone in gardens has developed through different cultural traditions. Chinese gardens, for example, have long valued distinctive rocks as focal elements, while modern sculptors have explored the relationship between carved form and outdoor space.

Commissioning

The sculptor should understand the intended position and how the garden may develop. The stone, finish, support and foundations should suit that setting. Delivery and access to the final position are practical parts of the commission.

In the Atlas

Dominic Benhura’s dark stone sculpture of a mother swinging her child, installed beside a path in Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Swing Me Mama

A springstone mother leans forward to swing her child, with elongated limbs, smooth carved surfaces and rough stone defining the figures’ heads. Its disciplines include Sculpture. Related services include Public monuments and Garden sculpture.

Sculpture by Dominic Benhura.

donated in 1999 | Singapore Botanic Gardens

Source & credits

Sculpture: Dominic Benhura. Photograph: Catherine, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo source | CC BY-SA 2.0

Swing Me Mama

People

Garden sculpture Services

References

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